With Medvedev in spotlight, Newsom steps aside

Published 4:00 am, Sunday, June 27, 2010

Photo: Tony Avelar, AFP/Getty Images

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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, sends his first tweet as Twitter co-founder Biz Stone(C) and Evan Williams(L) look on at the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, California, on June 23, 2010. President Dmitry Medvedev will tour Silicon Valley lookingfor connections and investments for what he envisions as a Silicon Valley of sorts just outside of Moscow. He will meet with leaders of Cisco, Apple, Google and Twitter. less

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, sends his first tweet as Twitter co-founder Biz Stone(C) and Evan Williams(L) look on at the Twitter headquarters in San Francisco, California, on June 23, 2010. President ... more

Photo: Tony Avelar, AFP/Getty Images

With Medvedev in spotlight, Newsom steps aside

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Russian President Dmitry Medvedev's public appearances in San Francisco were scripted down to the minutest detail - including what everyone wore.

In fact, the attention to image almost derailed the obligatory meet-and-greet between Medvedev and San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsomat Twitter headquarters on Folsom Street.

According to those on the scene, no sooner did Newsom arrive than word came back that it would suddenly "be impossible" for the two to meet.

"You have to understand, they were very conscious of the image they wanted to be sent back to Russia," said one witness. "And what they wanted was the image of a young, good-looking, dynamic, open-collared leader" - that would be Medvedev - "looking comfortable and a star in the world of high-tech."

The problem was that Newsom - with his tall, good looks - would tower over the diminutive Medvedev. Plus, Newsom was wearing a tie.

Upshot: Newsom lost the tie, then made a point of staying two bodies away from Medvedev so the Russian leader wouldn't be photographed looking up at someone - or, more important, having someone look down on him.

Seat sale: Special interests turned out big time for both sides in round one of the race to fill new Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado's vacated state Senate seat along the Central California coast.

The stakes: A Democratic win would put the party within a single vote of a two-thirds majority in the state Senate. If they could find that vote, they'd have control in the upper house over the budget.

Democrats and state worker unions spent $1.2 million on their candidate, former Santa Cruz Assemblyman John Laird.

On the other side, business interests poured about $2 million into Republican Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee's race - including $1.2 million to slam Laird on everything from voting for taxes to taking a paid seat with other former legislators on the oft-criticized Solid Waste Management Board.

For all the cash, neither candidate won outright, so there will be a runoff in August - and even more money spent before that.

Master strategy: Talks are expected to begin Monday on how to avoid the budget-balancing layoffs of 80 Oakland cops ordered by the City Council.

The feeling seems to be that now that rank-and-file officers see that the city is serious about cutting jobs, they might be more open to kicking in 9 percent of their salaries toward their pensions.

"It was clear that the vote needed to happen before we could really talk," said City Council President Jane Brunner.

Just as well if he doesn't, as council members now consider the mayor's presence more of a liability than a plus. And with good reason.

A KPIX/Survey USA poll taken last week clocked Dellums' approval rating among registered voters in Oakland at only 21 percent - with 64 percent of those surveyed saying they disapproved of his performance and 15 percent not sure.

Mistaken identity: The "boos" blanketing the WBA super middleweight championship fight at Oakland's Oracle Arena last weekend were not only for Mayor Ron Dellums.

Ryan Romanoff, who was seated in the second row, tells us the real object of scorn was someone much more recognizable to this sporting crowd - quarterback JaMarcus Russell, whom the Oakland Raiders just dumped after three miserable years.

"The fans booed Russell as he walked to his seat in the eighth round," Romanoff says, and he "was booed again loudly as he left the arena after the fight."

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Maybe the onetime Louisiana State star was hoping to go incognito - he was wearing a rival Alabama Crimson Tide hat.

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